Winter 2010

WINTER 2010 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

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LOWER DIVISION
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FRENCH 1: Elementary French (5 Units)

Supervisor: Bruce Anderson, Assistant Professor (&#98canderson

@ucdavis.edu)

STAFF (sec. 1, M-F 9:00-9:50, 105 Olson) CRN 45194
STAFF (sec. 2, M-F 10:00-10:50, 105 Olson) CRN 45195

Prerequisite: No previous study of French is assumed. Students who have never studied French (or who have had fewer than two years of French in high school and do not place into French 2) should enroll in French 1. Students with two or more years of French in high school may only take this course for a Pass/ No Pass grade.

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 1 to 6); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available at http://trc.ucdavis.edu/anderson.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (12%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), three in-class exams (30%), and a final exam (19%).

Textbooks:

  • E. Amon, J.A. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French (Textbook, 4th Edition)
  • E. Amon, J. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French (Workbook/Laboratory Manual)

 

 

 

FRENCH 2: Elementary French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Bruce Anderson, Assistant Professor (&#98canderson

@ucdavis.edu)

STAFF (sec. 1, M-F 8:00-8:50, 244 Olson) CRN 45196
STAFF (sec. 2, M-F 9:00-9:50, 244 Olson) CRN 45197
STAFF (sec. 3, M-F 10:00-10:50, 227 Olson) CRN 45198
STAFF (sec. 4, M-F 11:00-11:50, 227 Olson) CRN 45199
STAFF (sec. 5, M-F 12:10-1:00, 1128 Hart) CRN 45200

Prerequisite:French 1 or placement test. Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 7 to 11); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available at http://trc.ucdavis.edu/anderson.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (10%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), two in-class exams (25%), a final oral exam (6%), and a final written exam (20%).

Textbooks:

  • E. Amon, J.A. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French (Textbook, 4th Edition)
  • E. Amon, J. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French (Workbook/Laboratory Manual)

 

FRENCH 3: Elementary French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Bruce Anderson, Assistant Professor (&#98canderson

@ucdavis.edu)

STAFF (sec. 1, M-F 11:00-11:50, 105 Olson) CRN 45201
STAFF (sec. 2, M-F 12:10-1:00, 105 Olson) CRN 45202

Prerequisite: French 2 or placement test. Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 12 to 16); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available at http://trc.ucdavis.edu/anderson.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (10%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), two in-class exams (25%), a final oral exam (6%), and a final written exam (20%).

Textbooks:

  • E. Amon, J.A. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French (Textbook, 4th Edition)
  • E. Amon, J. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French (Workbook/Laboratory Manual)

 

FRENCH 21: Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Eric Russell Webb, Assistant Professor (&#101russell

@ucdavis.edu)

STAFF (sec. 1, M-F 8:00-8:50, 267 Olson) CRN 45203
STAFF (sec. 2, M-F 9:00-9:50, 267 Olson) CRN 45204

Prerequisite: French 3 or placement test. Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.

Description: Presentation and analysis of the cultures of the French-speaking world (Paris, Quebec, Tahiti, Lyon, Northern Africa) and comparison to home culture; review of the basic grammar presented in first-year French; expansion of vocabulary related to city living, history/geography, the arts, food/cooking, and family life (textbook chapters 1 to 5). In-class presentations and activities, as well as out-of-class assignments, are conducted solely in French and focus on the development of listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking skills. The course meets four hours per week, plus an additional hour of independent web-based work, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available at http://trc.ucdavis.edu/anderson.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation, homework, and one in-class composition per chapter (5 x 13% = 85%), an oral final exam (5%), and a written final exam (10%).

Textbook:

  • M. Oates and J. Dubois, Personnages: An Intermediate Course in French Language and Francophone Culture (4th Edition) 

 

FRENCH 22: Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Eric Russell Webb, Assistant Professor (&#101russell

@ucdavis.edu)

STAFF (sec. 1, M-F, 10:00-10:50, 125 Olson) CRN 45205
STAFF (sec. 2, M-F 11:00-11:50, 125 Olson) CRN 45206

Prerequisite: French 21 or placement test. Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.

Description: Presentation and analysis of the cultures of the French-speaking world (Senegal, Martinique, Geneva, Strasbourg, Brussels) and comparison to home culture; review of the basic grammar presented in first-year French; expansion of vocabulary related to commerce, tourism, sports and leisure, politics, and modern technology (textbook chapters 6 to10). In-class presentations and activities, as well as out-of-class assignments, are conducted solely in French and focus on the development of listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking skills. The course meets four hours per week, plus an additional hour of independent web-based work, with 25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available at http://trc.ucdavis.edu/anderson.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation, homework, and one in-class composition per chapter (5 x 13% = 85%), an oral final exam (5%), and a written final exam (10%).

Textbook:

  • M. Oates and J. Dubois, Personnages: An Intermediate Course in French Language and Francophone Culture (4th Edition).

 

FRENCH 23: Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Nicole Asquith, Assistant Professor (&#110vasquith

@ucdavis.edu)

STAFF (M-F 12:10-1:00, 1120 Hart) CRN 45207

Prerequisite: French 22 or placement test. Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.

Description: Rigorous concentration on writing skills in French in preparation for the major/minor; course assignments relate to the cultural topic of la lacité (the issue of church and state in modern France, religious freedom/tolerance, secularism in French schools). A variety of materials, including written texts, videos, and songs will be analyzed and used as sources in the preparation of a dissertation (major course paper). In-class presentations and activities, as well as out-of-class assignments, are conducted solely in French. The course meets four hours per week, plus an additional hour of independent web-based work, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials and daily homework assignments will soon be available at http://trc.ucdavis.edu/anderson.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation, homework, and a major course paper. Percentages have yet to be determined.

Textbook: Course materials will be available for downloading in PDF format on SmartSite.

 

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UPPER DIVISION
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FRENCH 100: Composition in French (4 Units)

Nicole Asquith, Assistant Professor (&#110vasquith

@ucdavis.edu)
(MWF 11:00-11:50, 80 Social Science & Humanities Building) CRN 45233

Description: This course is intended to teach upper division students to write clear expository French with correct syntax, clear organization, and with some degree of sophistication in the use of French vocabulary. Several compositions will be written based on subjects discussed in class which include:

* Formal writing in French
* Choosing a title
* Outlines, logic & organization in writing
* Critical analysis of articles
* Text analysis of articles and literary material:analysis of poems, analysis of a play, analysis of short stories 

Prerequisite: course 23 or Consent of Instructor.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Compositions - 4 papers.

Textbook:

  • A Course Reader on SmartSite
  • Joann Sfar, Petit vampire va a l'ecole (Magnard, 2005)

 

FRENCH 108: Modern French Culture (4 Units)

Guillaume Peureux, Associate Professor (&#103jpeureux

@ucdavis.edu)
(TR 12:10-1:30, 1007 Giedt) CRN 63787

Description: This course is a survey of modern French culture from the early 20th century to the present day. Topics will include for instance the Dreyfus affair, the First World War, the Front populaire, the Algerian war of independence, may 68, the condition of women. This course has two different goals: 1) to provide a broad understanding of contemporary France and French culture; 2) to improve analytical skills. Materials will include movies, pictures, literary texts and comic book. There will be two home works (20% + 20%), one in-class test (20%) and a final exam (30%) – attendance and participation (10%).

Prerequisite: course 100 or Consent of Instructor.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Extensive Writing.

Textbook: A Course Reader on SmartSite

 

FRENCH 120: Modern French Thought (4 Units)

Jeff Fort, Assistant Professor (&#106pfort

@ucdavis.edu)
(TR 9:00-10:20, 113 Hoagland) CRN 63788

Description: This course will explore a selection of texts from the middle part of the twentieth century, with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on themes and writers associated with "existentialism" (a label that we will work to problematize). One major theme of the course will be the place and function of dramatized individual experiences within works of philosophical reflection: why and how does philosophy turn to a "theater of experience" in order to present its ideas? Authors will include: René Descartes, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Emmanuel Lévinas, and Frantz Fanon, among others. Early on in the course we will also read a brief text by Martin Heidegger, in an important and influential French translation from 1938, entitled "Qu'est-ce que la métaphysique?" We will view one film that deals with issues related to these texts: Robert Bresson's Pickpocket(1959).

Course work will include a brief in-class presentation, brief informal written responses to the readings, three formal papers, a mid-term and a final.

Prerequisite: course 100.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

  • Jean-Paul Sartre, Huis Clos Suivi De Les Mouches (Gallimard, 1947)
  • A Course Reader

 

FRENCH 141: Topics in French Literature - La bande dessinée (4 Units)

Nicole Asquith, Assistant Professor (&#110vasquith

@ucdavis.edu)
(MWF 12:10-1:00, 27 Wellman) CRN 63789

Description: Une introduction au “9e art” – la bande dessinée! Une courte histoire de la BD en français du début du XXe siècle jusqu’à nos jours et une présentation de quelques-uns de ces héros les plus célèbres (Tintin, Astérix, Lucky Luke et Corto Malthèse). Nous finirons le trimestre avec une oeuvre d’un auteur renommé de la nouvelle génération, Joann Sfar.

Nous nous concernerons également avec “l’art” de la BD. Afin de répondre à des questions sur sa technique (“Pourquoi est-ce les traits simples de Mickey Mouse nous attirent tellement?” “Comment représente-t-on le passage du temps en bande dessinée?” et ainsi de suite), nous lirons L’art invisible de Scott McCloud, une “théorie” de la bande dessinée présentée en forme de bande dessinée.

Prerequisite: course 100 or Consent of Instructor.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Two Term Papers.

Textbooks:

  • Goscinny, Asterix chez les Bretons
  • Sfar, Le Chat du Rabbin Ti La Bar-Mitsv
  • Goscinny, Lucky Luke Ti La Diligence
  • Pratt, La Ballade de la mer salee
  • Herge, Blue Lotus (Tintin Vol. 5)
  • McCloud, L'Art Invisible (Delcourt)

 

FRENCH 162: History of French Language (4 Units)

Eric Russell Webb, Assistant Professor (&#101russell

@ucdavis.edu)
(MWF 1:10-2:00, 290 Hickey Gym NEW LOCATION) CRN 63790

Description: This course concerns the history of French from Latin to the present day. We will overview the most important characteristics of French at four periods (Gallo-Romance, Old French, Middle French and Modern French) and consider the most important changes observed in the language's evolution between these. We will also examine the formation and expansion of Standard French, the decline of dialects and the exportation of French inside and outside of its European space of origin.

By the end of this quarter, you should be able to:

  • Situate French in the Romance and Indo-European language families
  • Comment on principal linguistic (phonology, morphology, syntax) and lexical characteristics of French at different periods
  • Discuss the external influences which come to bear on French at different times
  • Overview the sociolinguistic history of French.

All course lecture, activities, and discussion will be in French; most reading and all writing will be in French. You will acquire a good deal of new and useful vocabulary and will have a chance to refine writing accuracy and style. GE Credit: ArtHum.

Prerequisite: course 160.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbook:

  • M. Perret, Introduction a L'Histoire De La Langue (Armand Col, 2001)

 

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GRADUATE COURSES
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FRENCH 201: History of French (4 Units)

Eric Russell Webb, Assistant Professor (&#101russell

@ucdavis.edu)
(MWF 1:10-2:00, 1128 Hart) CRN 63791

Description: This course is a presentation of the main changes in the grammatical structures of French, from Latin to contemporary usage, involving textual analysis and sociolinguistic description.

Prerequisite: None.

Format: Seminar - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbook:

  • M. Perret, Introduction a L'Histoire De La Langue (Armand Col, 2001)
  • A Course Reader on SmartSite

 

FRENCH 204: Topics in French Literature - Marie de France's La Fresne (4 Units)

Noah Guynn, Associate Professor (ndguynn(@ucdavis.edu)
(T 2:10-5:00, 422 Sproul) CRN 63793

Description: This course will offer an introduction to Old French language and literature. Using William Kibler’s textbook, we will master the basic elements of Old French grammar and syntax and develop skills in the linguistic and formal analysis of literary texts. Students will be asked to do regular translation assignments and close readings. Class sessions will be structured as workshops and will require active, informed participation from all students. Other requirements for the course include a take home midterm exam (translations with dictionaries) and a 10-page paper. The course will focus on the twelfth-century author Marie de France, especially her lay Le Fresne, which is the focus of Kibler’s textbook, and her collection of Fables.

Grading: 50% (Midterm Exam) and 50% (10-page Paper).

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing or Consent of Instructor; Reading knowledge of modern French is required for this course, which will be taught in English.

Format: Seminar - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

  • William W. Kibler, An Introduction to Old French (MLA)
  • Marie de France, Fables. Edited by Harriet Spiegel (Toronto)
  • RECOMMENDED: A.J. Greimas, Dictionnaire de l’ancien français (Larousse)

 

FRENCH 291: Foreign Language Learning in the Classroom (4 Units)

Bruce Anderson, Assistant Professor (&#98canderson

@ucdavis.edu)
(R 1:10-4:00, 144 Olson) CRN 45306

Description: This course will provide an overview of approaches to university-level foreign language instruction in the United States and the theoretical notions underlying current trends in classroom practices across commonly taught foreign languages. Course objectives are the following: (1) to acquaint students with issues and research in foreign language teaching; (2) to show ways of using that research to achieve more effective classroom instruction; (3) to develop students’ skills in evaluating teaching performance and instructional materials; and (4) to prepare students for continued professional development, including the use of technology in the classroom. Class meetings will be devoted to lectures by the course instructor and invited guest speakers, student-led discussion, and short presentations and/or demonstrations by students and the instructor. Students will use professional journals to explore topics of interest; prepare their own classroom materials; evaluate the instructional materials developed by others; and complete a final exam. This course is cross-listed with German 291 and Spanish 291.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing or Consent of Instructor.

Format: Seminar - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbook: A Course Reader on SmartSite